Bubble making toys have captivated the interest of children for years. Such devices can be as simple as a dipstick or a wand having a ringlike structure which can be dipped into a soapy solution, and either be waved back and forth, or be blown upon to generate bubbles. More specifically, surface tension causes the soapy solution to cling to the surface of the ring, and forms a film extending across a central opening of the ring. As air is moved against that film, for example, by directing a breath of air toward the film, the film bows away from the ring, eventually escaping the ring and forming a bubble. Examples of such devices are shown in La Fata, U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,731, and Cuccio, U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,649. While such devices are functional, they are not without drawbacks, which namely manifest themselves in the form of leakage, drippage, and general messiness.
Some prior art devices have therefore attempted to distance the device from the hand of the user, to thereby avoid unpleasant drippage. For example, La Fata, U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,693, provides a bubble making toy in the form of a multiple apertured reservoir tied to a string which can be swung in a circle, and thereby utilize centrifugal force to direct the soapy solution to the apertures to form films, and the air stream generated by the swinging action to generate the actual bubbles. Such a device therefore necessarily requires a relatively large amount of space, with the user actually having relatively little control over the bubble making process.
In addition, many prior art devices have required operator input in manipulating either the wand or the bubble forming solution to create the film necessary for forming bubbles. Such manipulation often proves difficult, especially for young children, and either leads to frustration or premature play stoppage. Some devices therefore provide a somewhat automated mechanism for creating the film of soapy solution and generating bubbles. Such devices can be provided in the form of toy guns, such as that disclosed in La Fata, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,923, DeMars U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,890, or Lei, U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,469. However, such devices are often relatively complex with parts which are prone to fatigue or failure, and are also often reliant on batteries, motors, and fans for pumping solution to a wand ring and for generating an airstream to create bubbles.